Connie
by it'sjust-Lex
Summary: Charles Xavier's little sister is everything to him. A series of one shots documenting Constantine Xavier and her strange talents. One shots won't necessarily be chronological and may contain spoilers for the X Men franchise.
1. Chapter 1

_**Set right atthe beginning of First Class**_

Charles was sat contentedly watching Connie as she sat opposite him, finishing very quickly a set of simple arithmetic questions she had been assigned for school. He was fascinated by her, following the path of her young mind as she conjured numbers fromnowhere.  
She knew he was in there, of course, but for her it was normal. For what she could remember of her ten years of life, Connie had never been without her brother's presence, mental or otherwise. She was also comforted by the appearance and

feel of Raven's natural blue, marginally scaly skin.

After a minute more, Connie placed a hand over her mouth to hide a huge yawn, and dropped her pen to the page. As she sighed, Charles smiled gently and reached a hand towards her across the table.

"Come on, love, it's time you went to bed," he said softly. Constantine nodded as Raven walked past in her bathrobe, stretching down to plant a kiss on the child's cheek and stroke her hair.

"Night night, sweetie," she said lovingly. Connie held onto her hand and stood up herself. She smiled back, but did not speak. She wasn't one for words. As she looked questioningly at Charles he nodded.

"I'll be there in a moment," he promised. Connie dropped her eyes and left the room quickly, disappearing up to her bedroom. Raven looked at Charles.

"You're still doing that?" she asked. It was not a question, but insurance. The fact Charles kissed his sister goodnight each night did not bother her, but she was aware that it was not standard behaviour around a child of her maturing age. Charles stood  
/and nodded lightly.

"Indeed. Constantine is different, she needs me to do these things," he answered quietly, calm as ever. Raven understood perfectly, of course, and nodded. They went about their business, Raven continuing to the bathroom as Charles folded Connie's paper  
/and left it tidy, then sorted his own papers and walked across to the living side of the room. He picked up the blanket that was draped across the settee, folded it, then placed it on a chair as he went across the apartment to his sister's room.

Charles knocked Connie's door once, and of course she did not reply, so he pushed it open and went to sit beside her on the bed. She had her knees drawn to her chin, sat on the mattress with her eye sockets pressed to her kneecaps. Charles sighed gently  
/and placed a hand over her fingers.

"Connie," he whispered. Connie hesitated, then released her knees and lifted her head. He smiled sadly at her. "Was today a bad day?"

Connie said nothing, of course, just nodded and picked at her sleeve. Charles paid attention to her thought as she answered.

 _I had three fits. They hurt_.

Charles sighed and reached to stroke her face. Connie tilted her head into his palm but still kept her eyes on her cuff as he thought about this.

"Maybe you should stay out of school tomorrow. I have a lecture in the morning, but Raven will bring you to the library before her shift in the restaurant," he suggested. Connie nodded, relief clear on her face. Charles smiled sadly again and withdrew  
/his hand.

"Come on," he said softly, moving forward to sit above her. As Connie lay down and curled up on her side, he pulled the covers up over her. As she shut her eyes, Charles brushed her hair from her face and traced his fingers down her cheek. After a moment,  
/he leaned down to give her a kiss. "Goodnight, darling," he whispered, standing and switching off the light.

* * *

As the night went on, Raven was leaning against Charles with his arm around her as she listened to him reading his thesis aloud. The pair were very comfortable like this, having grown up together in the Xavier Manor House.

About an hour after putting Connie to bed, the screaming started. Charles went cold as the sound tore through him, and shared a brief glance with Raven.

"Not again. Connie!"

Charles called her name as he and Raven leapt up and ran through the apartment to Connie's room. Raven was first through the door, and went straight to the girl as she twisted and screamed, clearly in terror. Charles stood by the end of the bed as Raven  
/wound her arms around his sister and tried to wake her.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. We're here, you're safe..." Raven chanted softly as the screams died out and Connie gripped her arm. She looked exhausted, and slumped back into the unusually blue arms of her sister as Charles switched on the bedside lamp and watched  
/carefully. He and Raven shared another worried glance, and as she stroked the child's face he sat down beside them.

"What was it, love?"

Connie opened her eyes then, her huge blue irises terrorised as she fought to breathe.

"Mother," she breathed, her voice weak with lack of use. Charles felt his heart sink, and shifted even closer, placing his hands on her cheeks and looking into her eyes.

"You'll never go back to her. Raven and I will always look after you," he promised. Raven pressed her lips into Connie's hair as if to prove it, and Charles stroked his sister's face as tears spilled out and down her cheeks, wiping them with a finger.

After about a minute, Charles sighed and withdrew his hand.

"I have to study," he sighed apologetically, as Raven continued to gently rock Connie. Connie gripped both of their hands tightly, eyes flitting between them. It was clear she was afraid to be left alone. Raven stroked her hair and looked at Charles.

"Read here," she suggested. "We can't leave her." Charles nodded.

"Hmm. I'll just get my papers," he said softly, getting up and making for the door. Raven continued to hold Connie close as the child's heart rate returned to normal.

"I'd better go to bed so I can look after you in the morning," she whispered. Connie closed her eyes and snuggled into her arm.

 _Can't you stay too?_ she asked in a small mental voice. Raven smiled.

"Oh, sweetie, there's not enough room for all three of us. Charles won't be sleeping for a while yet, anyway." She paused, then as Charles reappeared in the doorway, whispered "If there ever comes a day when we can't be together..."

Connie smiled sweetly at the mention of Winnie the Pooh, her child's face as untroubled as it should be.

"Keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever," she answered softly. Charles smiled as he heard her, and Raven planted another, more meaningful kiss on Connie's cheek.

"Night night. I love you," she told her.

"I love you too."

Raven let go of Connie then, and got up off the bed. As she walked past Charles they kissed each other's cheeks and embraced lightly.

"Goodnight, love."

"Night."

Raven left the room and shut the door quietly as Charles sat down beside Connie and swung his legs up onto the bed. He arranged himself so that his texts were on his lap and his arm was wound around the little girl as she snuggled into his left side.  
/With his left hand absently playing with her hair or rubbing her shoulder, Charles continued to read his paper aloud, quietly and in as soothing a voice as he could manage, more to himself than to her.

After about a half hour, Charles looked down to see Connie's eyes were open as she too read the paper in his hand, and he smiled.

"Would you rather I read in my head?" he asked gently. Connie let her eyes drift closed and snuggled more closely into the hollow under his arm, her head on his chest.

 _Not really_ , she told him.

"But you need to sleep."

Connie's brow furrowed.

 _Can't you make me sleep? I don't want to see mother again._

Charles sighed, then kissed her hair, running his fingers through it loosely.

"Night night, sweetheart," he murmured as he swept his fingers over her cheek and focused on her consciousness. "...And into a dreamless sleep."

He waited a moment to ensure it had worked, and smiled when he noticed that it had. Content, Charles continued to read his notes until he too grew tired, nodding off beside his sister and not waking until the morning.

* * *

 **Ta daa!  
So this is Connie, one of my favourite characters that has come from the depths of my brain. Hermutation is probably not something that would exist in the marveluniverse but hey, this is fiction, why not make it happen for us on here? Anyway,  
yeah, she's a cutie, I really hope you guys grow to like her as I post a little more ^_^**


	2. Two sisters

**Set approximately four years before First Class. Some details may be slightly off as I tend to writefrom memory :)**

* * *

."Mother, you cannot look after a child like this!"

Charles stared at his mother from across the room, exasperated. She had never realised that leaving her baby without attention through a whole night was not humane, and now that the child was six years old she hadn't given her the time of day either.  
She was too caught up in her own grief.

Charles knew neither their father nor stepfather would have allowed it, would at least have hired a nanny by now to help. But both were out of the picture, and Charles had moved away to study at Oxford, so he couldn't be of much use.

Lady Xavier sighed and tapped her cigarette.

"She was fine. She will learn not to bother soon enough," she declared, though her voice cracked and she dipped her eyes. Charles sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes.

"You've tested that theory for six years."

The child lying on the settee began to stir, and then whimper. Charles watched his mother for her reaction, but she did nothing, just inhaled her cigarette and stared at the floor. Shaking his head in frustration, the boy went straight over and sat down  
beside his sister, scooping her up and cradling her as he tried to see what was wrong. After a brief examination he accurately concluded that she was having a bad dream, and was crying out for comfort.

"Oh, Connie, it's ok. I've got you, love," he told her quietly, looking into her huge blue eyes as she woke up and saw him. She calmed down at the sound of his voice, and as she closed her eyes again he noted that she was unusually aware for such a young  
age.

Knowing something was different about her, Charles tightened his jaw and looked back at his mother.

"I'm going to take her back to Oxford," he said firmly. "Raven and I will do our utmost."

This seemed to wake Lady Xavier up.

"What?" She stammered, almost dropping her cigarette. "Don't be ridiculous, you're only eighteen and Raven is even younger," she scolded him. Charles held her gaze and kept a hold of the little girl, who had snuggled into his arms and was sleeping more  
peacefully. Underneath the defiance, he could see the true fear and embarrassment in his mother's face, and softened his tone.

"She'll have a better chance at life," he answered. "I am free through most of the day while Raven is at school, and Raven has the nights while I study. We will sort it out."

Lady Xavier bit her lip and sighed. At this, fifteen-year-old Raven came through the door, back from the kitchen with a beaker of milk as Charles had asked her to fetch while she was out gathering the last of her belongings. Charles felt his mother's  
eyes on them as he woke Connie and Raven offered her the milk, which she took readily, grateful yet unused to the attention.

As the little girl gulped down the contents of the glass, Raven talking gently to her, Charles took a careful peek into his mother's mind. Through her eyes he saw himself, with Connie safe in his arms, as Raven soothed her.

He also felt her sudden rush of guilt, and a confused pain as she realised that her children were more than capable of looking after themselves, and that Connie seemed happier in Charles' arms than hers. Although, when was the last time she had held her...?

Charles sighed to himself, and as Raven noticed he winked at her.

"What would you say to Connie coming to live with us, love?" he asked quietly.

Raven grinned.

"Yes! Oh, please can she?"

Charles smiled and looked up at his mother, then set Connie on the sofa and stood up. He walked across to Lady Xavier and looked into her eyes, hands on her shoulders.

"Mother, please look at me."

Lady Xavier sighed heavily, eyes flitting around, but Charles waited patiently until she focused on his. He smiled sadly.

"I know that Father dying hurt you, as did Edward's leaving last year, but you can't let it affect your children," he told her firmly. As her eyes dipped in shame Charles shook his head. "I know you hate to hear it but Connie needed you and you've let  
her down."

Lady Xavier nodded a little, quiet for a moment, and Charles waited patiently. She looked up at him, guilt stricken.

"I let you down too," she said quietly. She looked across at Raven, who was singing gentle tunes to Connie. "And Raven. You're the one who took her in, made her feel valued."

Charles nodded, and his mother looked back at him and placed a cold, ill hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry for that, Charlie. Honestly, I am. I was too preoccupied with your father and his work, and then Edward. I never told you I loved you, never showed your sister I cared for her," she said, pained. Charles smiled a little.

"Which sister?" he asked wistfully. Lady Xavier laughed weakly and her eyes became teary.

"Both of them," she whispered. Her eyes did not move from Charles' face, and he daren't look away, but out of the corner of his eye Charles saw Raven look across, wide eyed.

Lady Xavier had finally accepted her.

Charles nodded.

"Thank you for saying that."

His mother stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"It's true. I can see Raven is as much your sister as Connie. That makes her my daughter," she said firmly. Eyes dipping to the floor, she released Charles and turned back towards the window, shoulders hunched.

"The two of you have grown up good and honest and beautiful. If you can do the same for Constantine, maybe she is better off with you."

Her voice was quiet and pained, but Charles knew she meant what she said. She was finally giving in. Not wishing to push her any further, Charles stepped forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He lingered for a moment, then turned and walked back to  
his sisters.

"Let's go home," he whispered as he lifted a now sleeping Connie off the sofa and wrapped her tightly in his arms. Raven stood up too, and they left the room as quietly as they could.

When they were halfway down the hall, Charles heard his mother's quiet sobs and hoped to God the girls couldn't hear them too.


End file.
